Edmund eoggees bbistol and edwaed chaeles geaf



(No' Model.) Y

E. R. BRISTOL"& E. C. GRAN.

CAN COVER-AND CLAMP. No. 376.941.. Patented Jan. 24, 1888,

WITNESSES: J I 'IN B TOR; I W 2 39M, W r Y 'Jumm V ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS PlmloLflbogra ppppppp hiuglon. D. C.

NITED ST TES EDMUND'ROGGERS BRISTOL AND EDWARD CHARLES GRAN,

- I MINNESOTA. I V

[PATENT OFFlCEe I on JORDAN,

CAN-COVER AND CLAMP...

, SPECIFICATION forming part of I [le tters Patent No. 375,941, dated January 24,1888.

Application filed March 16, 1887. Serial No. 231,158. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDMUND .Ro'eenns BRISTOL and EDWARD CHARLES GRAN, of Jordan, in the county of Scott and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Can-Cover and Clamp, of which. the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to a cover and a clamp adaptedto hold the cover to a shipping can, vessel, or package, and lock the cover closed tightly to prevent loss of the contents of the can by spoiling or spilling or pilfering; and the invention has for its object to provide sim ple, inexpensive, and character.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the cover and clamp, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the upper part of one of'our improved shipping-cans and a side view of the cover-clamp, with the clamp shown locked in full lines and unlocked and opened in dotted lines. Fig. 2

is a plan view of the cover and clamp, and

Fig. 3is an enlarged detail sectional plan view of portions of the clamp, illustrating its looking device. w e

The shippingcan, partly shown inthe drawings, is an ordinary milk-can having a neck, A, formed with a flaring upper portion, a, in the-usual manner, and the cover B is placed within the flared part a of the neck, and has fixed to it ahandle, 0, made with a transverselyconcaved upper face or with a groove, 0, therein, adapted to receive the head of a clampscrew, as presentlydescribed, To'theonter face'of the cover B is fixed a rubber or other suitable packing-strap, D, which,'when the cover is clamped to the can, makes a close or air-tight joint.

At one side of the neck A of the can is fixed,

v lugs of which a lug or tenon formed at the effective devices of this 2 of the drawings.

extremity of the hooked end f ofa clampdev'ei', F, enters, and this tenon has side pins, f, which enter siots 6 made in the lower partsof the j lug'se of the bar Ewhen the clamp-lever is,

swung down across the top of the cover tolock the cover firmly to the neck of the can;

It is obvious that the lever F may be swung k over backward clear'of the can-coverto allow removal of the cover, and the lever when swung over may also be easily disengaged from the bar Eby slipping its pinsf from the barslots 6, and there is no projection above .the top of the can which would prevent the can from resting closely upside down onto a steamtable for cleansing or warming it. v

,Into the center of the lever F a screw, G, is

to enter and ,fit the recess or groove 0 of the can-cover for pressing the cover down to close cover-groove at the same time prevents'turning of. the screw.-

At the side of the canneck A, diametrically opposite thebar'or plate E,a plate, H,is fixed by bolts h orotherwise to the neck,and to the threaded,so as to be adjustable vertically,andf

the header cross-bargofthisscrew isadapted it tightly onto the neck of the can, and'the upper end of this plate H a.latch-bar,I,is pivoted at t. The upper or free end of the'latch bar is providedewith a slot or mortise, J, having notches j at each side, with which the hook ends It It of a pair of latches, K K, pivoted to the clamp bar F, are adapted to engage when the latch-bar is swung upward'onto the clamp-bar, as shown infull lines in Figs, 1 and The latches KlK are pivoted on a pin, it, within a recess, L, made in the upper side of the clamp-bar F,and the tails V or back ends of the latches are pressed toward each other by a spring, M, held in the recess for locking the latch-hooks into thelatch-bar notches. The tails of the latches KK are sepa rated a little to allow a key, N, to bepassed through a key-hole, n, in the cover-plateO of v the latch-recess, which-allows the latch-hooks to be drawn inward to release the latch-bar by spreading-the tail ends of the'latches byturn ing the key, as will be understood from Fig 3 of the drawings. Y

It is obvious that the screw G maybe quickly loo 7 l adjusted in the clamp-leverF to cause its head H g to press the packing on the cover tightly to the neck of the can, and when the latch-bar I is swung upward to the opposite shoulders f*, at the base of the tenon on the lever F, which enters the latch-bar slot J, the latch-hooks It will automatically engage the notches j j of the latch-bar to lock the cover securely to the can. The dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings show the clamp-lever partly raised and the latch-bar swung down.

When the cover is clamped to the can, as above described, the contents of the can will not be spilled should the can be upset,and milk, cream, or other produce or articles carried in the can or package cannot be spoiled by exposure to the atmosphere, and cannot be abstracted while in transit on railways or vessels to a market, and the' cover may readily be removed by authorized persons using a key to release the latch-bar from the clamplever, as above described. With slight modifications in the proportions of the parts this improved cover clamp or fastener may be applied to all ordinary cans used for carrying milk, cream, or other liquids,and the clamp-lever and latchbar may also be fitted to boxes,crates,or other packages for securing their covers, substantially in the manner above described.

At times the screw G may be dispensed with and the clamp-lever F will bear directly onto the cover of the can or package, and should the handle 0 not be used on the cover the screw G may bear directly onto the main plate of the cover and its head enter a notch or recessin the cover-plate, as will readily be understood.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a can and its cover having a recess, of a top cross-bar held over the cover, and an adjustable screw or pin, which is fitted to said cross-bar and enters said recess in the cover when the cross bar is locked, whereby the cover may be closed tightly by the screw or pin, and the latter will be prevented from turning loose.

2. The combination, with a can and its cover having a recess, of a top crossbar pivoted to one side of the neck or top of the can or package,a device fixed to the can or package to latch or retain the free end of the cross-bar, and an adjustable screw or pin, which is fitted in the top cross-bar and enters the recess in the cover when the cross-bar is locked.

3. The combination, in a cancover and clamp, of a cover, B, fitted to the neck of the can and provided with a recess, 0, a clamplever, F, held at one end to the can, a latchbar, I, pivoted at one end to the other side of the can, and having at its free end a slot adapted to receive the free end of the clampbar, a screw, G, fitted in the lever and having a head, g, adapted to enter the cover-slot c, and a latch device locking the parts F I together, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, in a cover and clamp, of a cover, B, a clamp-lever, F, apivoted latchbar, I, having a slot, J receiving the free end of the lever F and provided with notches j, and alatch device consisting of spring-pressed hook-plates K K, adapted to enter the notches j, and the lever having a hole, n, to admit a key between the hook-plates, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, in a can cover and clamp, of a cover, B, having a handle, 0, provided with arecess, c, apacking, D,interposed between the cover and canbody,a clamp-lever, F, a screw, G, fitted insaid lever and having a head, 9, adapted to enter the handle-recess c, a pivoted latch-bar,l, havingaslot, J, notched atj and adapted to receive the free end of the clamp-lever, and a latch device consisting of spring-pressed hook-plates K K, and the lever provided with a hole, n, to admit a key between the hook-plates, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, in a can cover and clamp, of a cover, B, fitted to the neck of the can, a' bar or plate, E, and a plate, H, fixed to the can, a lever, F, pivoted to the plate E, a screw, G, fitted in the lever F and adapted to bear on the cover, a latch-bar, I, pivoted to the plate H, and having a slot, J, into which the free end-of the lever F is adapted to enter, and a latch device fitted in the clamp-lever F and adapted to lock it to the latch-bar, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination, with a can, of a plate or bar, E, fixed to one side of the can and with its head portion below the top of the neck of the can, and said head portion being made forked and provided with slots ein the lower parts of the side lugs of the fork, in combination with a clamp-lever, F, adapted to bear onto the cover and provided with a tenon entering the fork of the bar E, and pins f, entering the slots 6 of the bar E, and a device retaining the free or outer end of the lever F, substantially as shown and described.

EDMUND ROGGERS BRISTOL. EDWARD CHARLES GRAN. Witnesses:

BARKLEY VARNER, W. H. BAIER. 

